Roses are Red
by WitchyElphaba
Summary: Different rose colors resemble different aspects of love.


So, this was inspired by several different things.

First off: Valentine's Day! An excuse for complete and pointless fluff!

Then, my friend Talim-Hime posted her own KuroFay Valentine's Day fic, which is quite a lovely piece itself. This story is inspired and based off her format.

Then I was searching yahoo, and came across and article on the different meanings of the colors of roses. They listed ten different colors, and their different meanings (if you want to read the article, feel free to ask me!)

I had also read Mizu-Tenshi's wonderful one shot "Lily of the Valley", and adored how she used flowers as a motif and symbol throughout the short story. I decided to try it with the roses, and ended up having fun writing this.

Mild spoilers, and a mild mature theme.

Disclaimer: I am not CLAMP, so I do not own these character (unfortunately). I also did not copy, steal, etc., from Talim-Hime and Mizu-Tenshi. They are wonderful writers who inspire my own writing, so therefore, I thank them!

* * *

**Roses are Red**

She had welcomed him to Clow Country with two gifts. The first was a smile as radiant as the sun that beamed down upon the desert kingdom. The second was a newly blooming **purple rose** that she had picked from one of the many gardens in the palace.

"I hope you like it here, Syaoran-kun!" exclaimed the princess, taking both of Syaoran's hands in her own. "And... I hope you can become my friend, too!"

Syaoran smiled, it was too hard _not _to around the bubbly princess.

"I hope so too, princess."

"You can call me Sakura! You're my friend so 'princess' isn't too friending, is it?"

"Ah, okay then...Sakura."

Though they didn't know it, it was definitely **love at first sight**.

-o-o-o-

He sat on a bench in a small park, taking a small rest, pushing back his blonde bangs, away from his eyes. Syaoran had gone to ask for directions, since none of the new traveling companions knew their way around the sprawling metropolis of the Hanshin Republic. The mage's blue eyes wandered over to the tall, dark man who had wandered on his own for a bit, not doing a good job at all in concealing his immense curiosity for the world they were in. He stood admist the **blue roses** that were planted in the public park, staring up in wonder at the towering buildings.

Kurogane, was what the ninja had called himself. Fay rolled the name around in his mind. It was very fun, to make such a strong name sound so idiotic (who wouldn't laugh at someone named Kuro-tan, Kuro-pin, or Kuro-munu?). He didn't dislike the man's name, though. _Kurogane_.

The name was as **intriguing** and as **mysterious** as the man who possessed the name himself.

-o-o-o-

Syaoran jumped. slightly startled, at the knock on his door. He placed his book down.

"Oh, come in!"

Sakura hesitantly opened the door and peered in.

"Um, am I interrupting anything...?" she asked. Syaoran shook his head.

"Not at all, come in. I-is everything alright?" he asked, suddenly worried. The princess, still dressed in her pink gown, shook her head and smiled.

"No, everything's fine, it's just... I wanted to give you this..." Sakura revealed a small **pink rose**, rescued from the snow that was covering the small town of Spirit. Syaoran took it, curiously looking at the princess.

"T-thank you, but, why...?"

"Oh, no, it's a thank you to _you_. Thank you for...for protecting me and caring for me on this trip. I don't have anything, but I saw it out in Kyle-sensei's, and since there's not much left out in the snow, I felt that you'd like to have something with you. You said you traveled a lot before, right? You must've seen so many plants on all your journey's!"

Syaoran smiled, for the first time, not feeling too sad. Not that he wasn't, but he had been so busy worrying over the locations of the feathers, he had nearly forgotten the radiant innocence of the princess. He was glad his memory had been refreshened by her never-ending **gratitude and appreciation**.

-o-o-o-

"Ne, Kuro-wan! Have you picked a color yet?" Fay persisted, tripping over the debris of main room, which was in the process of being refurbished into a cafe. Kurogane growled, tossing the catalogs of flowers across the dusty bar.

"I don't care! Why'd _I_ end up choosing the stupid color of a flower, anyways?" he said, just realizing that he had actually obeyed the mental mage when he had asked him to go through catalogs and choose a flower and the color.

"I was hoping you could help me. Opening a cafe is a lot of work, Kuro-pun," Fay exhaled, flopping onto one of the barstools and placing his head on the bar. "I hoped you could at least choose something as simple as a decoration, that way, you can have your credit in opening the cafe!"

Kurogane stared at Fay for a moment before he rolled his eyes, forcing himself to look away from the puppy-eyed look the blonde was giving him. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but fall for the look. He reached over and grabbed a catalog at random, and flipped through it. After a moment or two, he broke the silence.

"Get those."

"**Yellow Roses**?" Fay asked curiously, pulling the catalog towards himself. "Why these, Kuro-tan?"

"T-they're just ones I chose at random to get you to shut you up," he said, his eyes wandering over to Syaoran and Sakura, who were attempting to paint a wall on the far side of the room. Their hair and faces had small blots of paint, and both were laughing at the sight of Mokona, who had fallen into the bucket of brown paint and now resembled a very roasted pork bun.

He didn't dare tell the mage that his own mother had once told him, long ago, that a yellow rose bloomed when new **joy and friendships** were born.

-o-o-o-

They had arrived in a sullen, dry, blank world where Kurogane and Fay had no other choice but to be the ones to bring home the bacon every night, and Syaoran, Sakura and Mokona remained in the dull house they had managed to get a hold of during their stay.

Syaoran kept himself entertained by reading books on the country they were in, which wasn't very interesting to begin with. Sakura had nothing to do, until Fay had brought home some seeds, telling her that she should try her hand at gardening. Although Syaoran had told the princess that a recent drought had prevented many plants from growing and blossoming, Sakura decided that she had nothing else to do.

With Mokona propped on her shoulder, she worked away by a small patch of dirt in the back garden, planting seeds, and watering them carefully.

Weeks passed by, yet nothing grew.

Syaoran glanced out the window one particular sunset, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the princess collapsed in the dirt, with Mokona attempting to wake her up. He rushed outside and ran across the garden. He scooped her up into his arms, listening to Mokona's rushed explanation of another sleep spell falling on her, and shook her lightly in his arms, trying to wake her.

She stirred, and smiled when she saw Syaoran hovering over her.

"Look... a sprout..." she whispered, still smiling through her exhaustion. Syaoran looked over and indeed saw a tiny green stem and leaf trying to sprout through the dry earth.

A couple more days flew by, and the sprout grew, at an alarming rate, into a rose bush.

"Hyuu, Sakura! You did a marvelous job!" Fay exclaimed, bending over to sniff one of the peculiar **green roses** that grew from the bush. "You have quite a green thumb, doesn't she, Kuro-kun?"

Kurogane, who was fingering the green petals himself, grunted in approval.

The group left a couple of days later, finally getting their hands on the feather that had been kept in possession by the monopoly owner of the country's water company, the cause of the drought finally explained.

The owner of the house that the traveling group had stayed in wandered into the back yard, her eyes widening at the sight of the extremely rare flowers the strange occupants had managed to grow.

The community labeled the flowers a miracle from earth; the miracle of **fertility** had been granted to the community, and the country, once more.

-o-o-o-

Fay had bought five **lavender roses**, and gave one to each of his companions, keeping one for himself. They were in the midst of a festival, celebrating the beginning of summer in this particular country, and the roses of that particular were considered to be omens of great fortunes, and talismans against dangers.

The mage had insisted they all attend the festival for an evening to simply enjoy. Sakura kept pulling Syaoran's arm, insisting they play the game at the stall over there, and try that piece of food over here. Mokona squealed in delight at the sights of the attendant's clothing, and the smells of the foods, and Fay smiled at the happiness of the kids.

Kurogane kept his eyes on that smile.

The evening went on, leading to the festival's conclusion with a display of colorful, bright fireworks. The kids, the pork bun and the mage watched in amazement, but the ninja did not take his eyes off the blonde. After a moment, Fay turned to Kurogane, feeling the gaze on the side of his face.

"What is it, Kuro-sama?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Kurogane gazed at him, Fay staring back in confusion, but said nothing. Instead, he gave the mage a rare smile, and turned to look back at the fireworks, wishing he could just stare at the soft pale face illuminated by the artificial bright lights.

He fingered the lavender petals, not having the courage to tell Fay that he simply... **enchanted** Kurogane with the wizard's own happiness he rarely expressed.

-o-o-o-

"These are beautiful, aren't they, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she ran through the garden. Syaoran followed her, vibrantly remembering the days in their childhood when they ran and frolicked through the gardens of the palace of Clow. Ashura-ou watched from the garden's entrance, with Mokona perched on the ruler's shoulder.

The young princess's laughs echoed across the garden, grasping Syaoran's hand and pointing at the beauty of a statue, Syaoran taking interest in the statue as well. The two settled onto a stone bench admist the **white roses**.

"Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Um... you don't hate me, do you?"

Syaoran frowned in confusion.

"Why would you think that, princess?!"

"I-I just hope that you didn't think it was rude of me to... um, I mean, earlier today, w-hen I...um, I..."

"Kissed...my eye?"

Sakura's deep blush answered Syaoran's question.

"I really am so sorry! I shouldn't have, and now... you must think I'm so...so..."

"So...what, princess?"

Sakura paused, then giggled.

"I don't know. Somehow, I get the feeling that you wouldn't think much of me anymore."

"Why wouldn't I? Princess..." Syaoran met Sakura's eyes, "there's no way I could, _any _of us could, judge you. We're helping you so you can remember your family, and your friends--" he paused for a moment, trying not to let any pain show on his face. "Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong, and you don't have to apologize for anything, okay, Princess Sakura?"

Sakura hesitated, then took Syaoran's hand in her own. She shifted over to sit closer to him, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun," she said, smiling widely.

Syaoran blinked, before placing his arm around her shoulder to hold her even closer.

It was that **innocence** and **purity **those two children possessed that truly made Ashura-ou wish for their happiness

-o-o-o-

He knew he'd fallen in love with him the moment he met him on that rainy day, their first day as traveling companions. He knew, but he denied it; he tried to deny it.

He couldn't deny it.

When the ninja had given him the lone **orange rose** he had found on his walk, he had realized he was lying to himself. He had also realized that he wasn't the only one who had fallen in love on that foreboding, rainy day.

He couldn't explain why the sight of the flower had caused a surge of adrenaline to shoot throughout his body, nor why he suddenly attached himself to Kurogane, and pressed his own lips against the other's. He didn't quite remember how and when they ended up in their shared bedroom upstairs, lying beneath the sheets, holding each other, and looking out the window at the full moon and the bright stars.

He didn't care if he couldn't explain or remember.

Fay was in love.

He never knew he was capable of such **enthusiasm and passion**.

-o-o-o-

Kurogane had believed that Fay loved him.

Sakura knew that she had fallen in love with Syaoran-kun.

Yet Fay now ignored to meet Kurogane eye-to-eye. His one chance to finally let go everything and die was snatched away by the ninja, who had force-fed him the blood in order to keep him alive; to keep him with him. How selfish of Kuro-sama.

She had been left broken-hearted, trying to cling onto his bloody hand, trying to keep him with her. He had pulled his hand away, and left her with a mere mirror-version of himself. Even though the one she loved was the actual mirror. How mean of Syaoran-kun.

Their love had been tested, and no one in the group was sure if they were passing or not. Fay knew he was being unfair towards Kurogane: in an act that most certainly proved his love towards him, he was now pushing him further away. Sakura knew that "Syaoran" never meant to hurt her, yet she couldn't bring herself to feel the same warmth and comfort she had shared with the boy who had protected her so carefully on their journey.

It was Valentine's Day in their current world. A dark world named Infinity, where they constantly fought in underground battles for a prize the desert princess desired.

Broken-hearted, Kurogane and Syaoran could care less whether it was Valentine's Day or Labor Day.

Broken-hearted, Fay and Sakura were very much aware of the holiday.

Kurogane entered his room, and Syaoran his. Both found a single **black rose** on their pillows.

The ninja was left angered. The boy was left hurt.

The mage and the princess simply wanted to celebrate a holiday meant for lovers, despite their shattered, fragile hearts. A rose would suffice, but black was the only color they could express their pain with. And receive their **vengeance** for their broken hearts.

-o-o-o-

The truths and revelations, betrayals and acts of heroism, and epic adventures and battles, ultimately did not matter for any one of them.

Through the laughter and tears, joy and pain, Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane and Fay, with their little white magical creature that took them through their travels, managed to make it to the end of their journey, very much different people (in some cases, completely and literally different people), but alive, and very much happy to be so.

Before the celebration began, Kurogane had pulled Fay aside, who looked a bit startled. He simply held up a **red rose**. Fay smiled widely, looking up at Kurogane, who smirked at him and gazed down at his mis colored, blue-and-gold eyes. No words needed to be exchanged. Clinging onto the crimson flower, the magician reached up to embrace the ninja, feeling Kurogane's both organic and metal arms wrap around him.

Son's take after their father's. Even if it only ever was a family game all along.

Before the celebration began, Syaoran pulled Sakura aside, who looked a bit surprised. The joy at their reunion was almost unbearable: no one knew such extreme happiness existed. Through it all, she remembered who she loved, and she remembered who had protected her, and cared for her. Despite the unusual losses and achievements of her memories, she was grateful for it all in the end.

Syaoran could not find any words as she blinked her bright green eyes at him. Therefore, he settled by simply giving her the **red rose** he had carefully chosen. Sakura breathed in, delicately taking the fragile but beautiful flower in her own fingers.

"It's beautiful..."

"Not as much as you are, Sakura."

She looked up, only to ind herself much closer to Syaoran. She felt her cheeks blush furiously but for once, she didn't care.

"Syaoran... I wanted to tell you, long ago, before everything that has happened..."

"What?"

Sakura reached her hand up, placing it on Syaoran's cheek, and smiled through her deep blush.

"I love you."

And in the next moment, the princess of the desert, and the boy who had sacrificed half of his lifetime just for this moment, shared their first kiss as two young adults deeply in love.

The celebration welcoming the princess back to her kingdom and honoring her companions for their bravery didn't really matter to either of them.

The truths and revelations, betrayals and acts of heroism, and epic adventures and battles, ultimately did not matter for any one of them.

All that mattered was **romance**. All that mattered was** love**.

* * *

Purple Rose- love at first sight.  
Blue Rose- mystery and intrigue  
Pink Rose- Gratitude and appreciation  
Yellow Rose- joy and friendship  
Green Rose- fertility  
Lavender Rose- enchantment  
White Rose- innocence and purity  
Black Rose- vengeance  
Red Rose- romance and love

Yes, I gave the whole Tsubasa story an unofficial ending. I tried to keep it as vague as possible, I don't know what CLAMP will whip out next, honestly...

I hope you enjoyed it, reviews much appreciated!


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